Travel Case

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to features of a travel case that facilitate quick, secure, and/or easy access to clothing, accessories, and/or other items, as well as viewing and storage of the same. One embodiment of such a travel case includes a set of walls defining an interior compartment; a lid providing access to the interior compartment when the lid is in an open position; and a set of storage bins, wherein the set of storage bins is removable from the interior compartment of the travel case. The set of walls and the set of storage bins are comprised of a flexible plastic material such that the travel case is compressible.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to copending U.S. provisional application entitled, “Travel Case,” having Ser. No. 61/803,561, filed Mar. 20, 2013, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Travelers often use luggage such as, for example, suitcases, carry-ons, duffel bags and/or other bags in order to transport clothing and other items, such as, toiletries and souvenirs between locations. The available storage space within a luggage bag is normally constrained by its design limitations and the construction of the bag. Therefore, travelers seek to find ways to maximize the amount of space in their luggage to allow for the packing of as many items as possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a travel case according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of the interior compartment from FIG. 1, according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the storage bins from FIG. 1, according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 is a broken perspective view of one of the storage bins from FIG. 1, according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one of the storage bins from FIG. 1 in an open position, according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the travel case from FIG. 1 in which the lid is in an open position, according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the travel case from FIG. 1 showing the top tray attached to the side of the travel case, according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the travel case adapted for use as carry-on luggage on a commercial airplane.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to features of a travel case 100 that facilitate quick, secure, and/or easy access to clothing, accessories, and/or other items, as well as viewing and storage of the same.

With reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a travel case 100. The travel case 100 is made up of a set of walls 103 defining an interior compartment 106, and a lid 109. When the lid 109 is in an open position, access to the interior compartment 106 is provided, while in a closed position the lid 109 prevents access to the interior compartment 106. The interior compartment 106 is adapted to receive a set of storage bins 112 which can be used for storing clothing, accessories, and/or other items during travel. The storage bins 112 are not visible in this view, and so are shown with dashed lines. The storage bins 112 are removable from the travel case 100, either individually or as a group, so that items may be added to and removed from a storage bin 112. The storage bins 112 are stacked or arranged along the longitudinal axis 115 of the travel case 100, with each storage bin 112 having a generally vertical orientation within the interior compartment 106.

In this embodiment, the walls 103 join to form an interior compartment 106 that is generally rectangular. In this perspective view, a front wall 103F and one sidewall 103S are shown. Not shown in this perspective view are a second sidewall, a bottom wall, and a rear wall. Shapes other than rectangular are contemplated. As will be described in more detail below, the walls of the travel case 100 are adapted to hold the storage bins 112 in place during transport.

Moving on to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of the interior compartment 106, showing additional detail of the storage bins 112. The orientation of this top view is rotated 90 degrees such that the storage bins 112 appear to be stacked vertically on the page, but the arrangement is still longitudinal with respect to the travel case 100, as shown by longitudinal axis 115. In this embodiment, an interior wall 203 further subdivides the interior compartment 106, defining an additional storage area 206 between the stack of storage bins 112 and the rear wall 103R.

As noted earlier, the walls of the travel case 100 are adapted to hold the storage bins 112 in place during transport. To this end, a series of recesses 209 are formed in the sidewall 103S and the opposing wall, which in this embodiment is the interior wall 203. Projections on opposing sides of a storage bin 112 slide into these recesses 209. The interaction of these cooperating components extensions 309 will be described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4. A storage bin 112 may include a handle 212 for opening and closing.

Turning now to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the storage bins 112 in an example embodiment of the travel case 100. The storage bin 112 includes a top portion 303 and a bottom portion 306. A pair of opposing extensions 309 or flanges extend from the top portion 303 and/or the bottom portion 306 of the storage bin 112 and are adapted to fit into the ribbed recesses 209 (FIG. 1) of the travel case 100 (FIG. 1) to permit insertion into, and removal from, the interior compartment 106 of the travel case 100. In one embodiment, the top and bottom portions 303, 306 include a connector system 312 that securely connects the top portion 303 and bottom portion 306. In some embodiments, the connector system is made of a series of corresponding stops on one portion and notches on the other portion that snap into place. Additionally, the top portion 303 and the bottom portion 306 of the storage bin 112 may include one or more ventilation holes 315 to facilitate easy compression. In one embodiment, a storage bin 112 may be formed from a flexible plastic material and may be transparent to permit direct viewing of the clothing, accessories, and/or other items stored in the interior compartment 106.

Moving on to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a broken perspective view of the storage bin 112 in an example embodiment of the travel case 100. The top portion 303 of the storage bin 112 is sized to overlay the bottom portion 306 of the storage bin 112. The distance between the top portion 303 and the bottom portion 306 can be adjusted in size to store clothing of various sizes, shapes, and dimensions.

To this end, the top portion 303 of the storage bin 112 includes an end wall 403 and the bottom portion 306 of the storage bin 112 includes an end wall 406. One of end walls 403, 406 includes a series of male connectors 409 at different heights, and the other of end walls 403, 406 includes a series of female connectors 412. A male connector 409 at a particular height mates with the corresponding female connector 412 at the same height, thus securing the top portion 303 and the bottom portion 306 at a specific distance from each other. In this manner, the size of an individual storage bin 112 is adjustable to fit items of particular sizes.

Referring now to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the storage bin 112 in an open position in an example embodiment of the travel case 100. The top portion 303 of the storage bin 112 includes one or more releases 503 that enable the top portion 303 to be detached from the bottom portion 306 of the storage bin 112.

Moving on to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the travel case 100 in which lid 109 is in an open position, revealing a tray 603 for storing accessories, toiletries, and/or other items. The tray 603 may be made from a flexible plastic material. In some embodiments, the surface 606 of tray 603 is transparent to permit direct viewing of the accessories, and/or other items stored in the compartment 110. The top tray 603 includes a pair of lifting handles 609 adapted to lift, remove, and/or otherwise move the top tray 603. Also shown in FIG. 6 (with dashed lines) are the storage bins 112 stacked within the interior compartment 106, below the top tray 603.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the travel case 100 in a configuration in which the top tray 603 is attached or mounted to the side of the travel case 100. The mounting may be accomplished, for example, by hooks (not shown) that hang the top tray 603 off the front wall 103F of the travel case 100. In this embodiment, the top tray 603 includes tray compartments 703 that are suitable for separately holding articles such as cosmetics, accessories, and/or toiletries, and which are accessible when the travel case 100 is in the configuration of FIG. 7.

In some embodiments, the top tray 603 pivots 180°, so that surface 606 which is the upper surface in FIG. 6 becomes the lower surface with respect to the user. In other embodiments, a user instead lifts the top tray 603 and attaches the top tray 603 to the front wall 103F of the travel case 100 such that surface 606 remains the upper surface. In such embodiments, surface 606 functions as a lid to the top tray 603, and the user removes the lid to access the tray compartments 703.

Other embodiments and/or advantages of this disclosure will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional units, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description and be within the scope of the present disclosure. In one example, as demonstrated by FIG. 8, an embodiment of the travel case may be configured to be used as carry-on luggage on a commercial airline in accordance with airline rules and regulations. In accordance with the present disclosure, different embodiments may allow for various size travel cases, storage trays, and also allow for various arrangements of the storage bins and/or storage trays in the interior compartment, such as the insertion of trays in perpendicular or parallel axis to a longitudinal axis of the travel case. In such embodiments, a storage tray may be lifted from the interior compartment and rotated 90 degrees to be positioned on the lip of the front edge of the travel case, where the storage tray includes hooks or a lip that can slide onto the front edge of the travel case.

One should also note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of this disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure. 

Therefore, having thus described the invention, at least the following is claimed:
 1. A travel case comprising: a set of walls defining an interior compartment; a lid providing access to the interior compartment when the lid is in an open position, wherein the lid prevents access to the interior compartment when the lid is in a closed position; a set of storage bins, wherein the interior compartment is adapted to receive the set of storage bins; the set of storage bins is removable from the interior compartment of the travel case; and the set of walls is adapted to hold the set of storage bins in place during transit; a storage tray, wherein the interior compartment is adapted to receive the storage tray in a position above the set of storage bins within the interior compartment; and wherein the set of walls, the set of storage bins, and the storage tray are comprised of a flexible plastic material such that the set of walls, the set of storage bins, and the storage tray are compressible.
 2. The travel case of claim 1, wherein the flexible plastic material is transparent.
 3. The travel case of claim 1, wherein the set of storage bins is arranged along a longitudinal axis of the travel case, with each storage bin having a generally vertical orientation with the interior compartment.
 4. The travel case of claim 1, wherein the interior compartment comprises generally rectangular shape.
 5. The travel case of claim 1, wherein the interior compartment comprises an interior wall that further subdivides the interior compartment into a main interior compartment that houses the set of storage bins and an additional interior compartment that provides an additional storage area.
 6. The travel case of claim 1, further comprising: a series of recesses formed in a sidewall of the set of walls and an opposing sidewall of the set of walls; and a series of projections formed on opposing sides of a storage bin of the set of storage bins, wherein the projections are configured to slide into the recesses to hold the storage bin within the interior compartment.
 7. The travel case of claim 6, wherein a top portion of the storage bin is extended on its sides to form top projections and a bottom portion of the storage bin is extended on its sides to form bottom projections.
 8. The travel case of claim 1, wherein a storage bin of the set of storage bins comprises a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion connects with the bottom portion via mating connectors that snap together.
 9. The travel case of claim 8, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion comprises ventilation holes.
 10. The travel case of claim 8, wherein the top portion overlays the bottom portion of the storage bin and the storage bin is adjustable in size based on positioning of the top portion with respect to the bottom portion when snapped together.
 11. The travel case of claim 8, wherein the storage bin further comprises a release that enables the top portion to be detached from the bottom portion.
 12. The travel case of claim 1, wherein the storage tray is configured to be mounted on a side of the travel case.
 13. The travel case of claim 12, further comprising a hook or a lip structure attached to the storage tray and configured to secure the storage tray to a side of the travel case.
 14. The travel case of claim 1, wherein the storage tray comprises multiple tray compartments that are configured to separately hold different articles.
 15. The travel case of claim 12, wherein the storage tray comprises multiple tray compartments that are configured to separately hold different articles, wherein the multiple tray compartments are accessible when the storage tray is mounted on the side of the travel case.
 16. The travel case of claim 12, wherein the storage tray is configured to pivot 180 degrees from its positioning in the interior compartment to its positioning mounted on the side of the travel case, wherein a bottom surface of the storage tray within the interior compartment becomes a top surface of the storage tray when mounted on the side of the travel case.
 17. A travel case comprising: a set of walls defining an interior compartment; a lid providing access to the interior compartment when the lid is in an open position, wherein the lid prevents access to the interior compartment when the lid is in a closed position; a set of storage bins, wherein the interior compartment is adapted to receive the set of storage bins; the set of storage bins is removable from the interior compartment of the travel case; and the set of walls is adapted to hold the set of storage bins in place during transit; and wherein the set of walls and the set of storage bins are comprised of a flexible plastic material such that the set of walls and the set of storage bins are compressible.
 18. The travel case of claim 17, wherein the flexible plastic material is transparent.
 19. The travel case of claim 17, wherein the set of storage bins is arranged along a longitudinal axis of the travel case with each storage bin having a generally vertical orientation with the interior compartment.
 20. The travel case of claim 18, further comprising: a series of recesses formed in a sidewall of the set of walls and an opposing sidewall of the set of walls; and a series of projections formed on opposing sides of a storage bin of the set of storage bins, wherein the projections are configured to slide into the recesses to hold the storage bin within the interior compartment. 